It could have been forgiven if the class wanted no reminders at all. After the town-wide evacuation in September, the students spent nearly three months going to school in Longmont instead, using the old Main Street School building.

Instead, the memory became a touchstone and even, sometimes, a source of humor.

"We came to a location with some surprisingly good lunchtime options," joked co-valedictorian Piper Doering, who became a regular of Tasty Asia during the displacement.

"The kids have been really resilient," said parent Kathy Carroll, a 26-year resident, as she waited to watch her daughter Leah graduate. "They didn't just make the best of it, they made it good for themselves. We wouldn't have chosen it, but on looking back, it was just such a remarkable time and experience."

It was an experience referenced several times by the class's nine valedictorians, as they urged their classmates to make the important choices: for passion, for perseverance, for optimism and more.

"I don't think I understood what it took to persevere and carry on until the flood," co-valedictorian Heath Fesenmeyer said. "Neighbors helped neighbors, friends helped friends and strangers helped strangers. .. There's no comparison between everyday struggles and a 1,000-year flood,"

Jacque Watson hugs her son Logan Watson after Logan received his diploma during the Lyons High School commencement Saturday. (Lewis Geyer / Longmont Times-Call)

That cooperation began in the midst of the flood, where the school was one of the "islands" to stay above the waters and the central gathering point before the mass evacuation.

"People were just offering 'I have food,' 'I have medicine,' 'I have water,'" Carroll remembered. "It was this awesome, amazing experience."

Some graduates had enough adversity even without the flood. Matthew Molz was critically injured in a car accident just days before the disaster; back in action, he's now preparing to go to Front Range Community College as he continues his recovery. Steven Schopen had a grotesque leg break in the first Lyons High football game after the flood; by graduation, he was a co-valedictorian and struggling to pull the notes for his speech out of his sleeve.

"If anyone wants to make a graduation robe with pockets, I will invest," Schopen said to laughter from the audience.

It was one last grin from an unsinkable senior class.

"It's all about the view," Doering told the audience. "And from here, with the sun in our eyes and the mountains at our back, the view is pretty good."